United adds nonstops to Delhi, Melbourne, Toronto from SFO

San Francisco gateway getting even more crowded

United's Boeing 787 Dreamliner will be the workhorse of its international expansion at SFO

United's Boeing 787 Dreamliner will be the workhorse of its international expansion at SFO

Photo: Chris McGinnis

Photo: Chris McGinnis

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United's Boeing 787 Dreamliner will be the workhorse of its international expansion at SFO

United's Boeing 787 Dreamliner will be the workhorse of its international expansion at SFO

Photo: Chris McGinnis

United adds nonstops to Delhi, Melbourne, Toronto from SFO

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United Airlines will launch its "largest ever international network expansion" from San Francisco International Airport with new nonstops to New Delhi, Melbourne and Toronto. It will add a second daily flight to Seoul and will begin year-round nonstop service (previously seasonal only) to Auckland, Tahiti and Amsterdam.

Since 2013, United Airlines has added 12 new international destinations from SFO. With these new flights, United will serve 29 international destinations from San Francisco. United, the largest airline at San Francisco International Airport, operates more than 300 daily flights.

All these new flights are great news for Bay Area travelers, but the growth is also leading to overcrowding at SFO which means longer waits for gates. There's not much worse than flying 15+ hours across oceans, and then arriving at SFO to a lengthy 30-60 minute wait on the tarmac until a gate opens up. See our coverage on the "gate wait" situation here.

When asked during a conference call about adding to the frustrating gate-wait situation, United CEO Oscar Munoz said that the airline is cognizant of the problem and is working with SFO on the possibility of "temporary gates" and scheduling new flights outside of peak times. But he also said that "growth is painful" and asked that Bay Area fliers be patient as the carrier works through the expansion and resulting stress on limited gates.

It's interesting that United is adding service on routes already served by other airlines. When United teased the media stating that an "historic route announcement" was in store, I was hoping to see United pioneer new nonstop routes from SFO to Rome, Bangkok, Africa or South America.

Here's a rundown of United new and/or improves nonstop SFO routes and start dates:

San Francisco to New Delhi, India: United currently offers nonstop service to Mumbai and New Delhi from New York/Newark. Seasonal service from SFO begins on December 5, 2019, with Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner aircraft. Currently, Star Alliance partner Air India flies a Boeing 777 between SFO and New Delhi. TravelSkills contributor Tim Jue wrote: "The times for the New Delhi flight are absolutely terrible. Arrival at DEL at 12:45am with the return flight to SFO leaving at 4am. That's gonna be brutal."

San Francisco to Melbourne, Australia: United is adding new nonstop year-round service between San Francisco and Melbourne three times per week, beginning October 29, 2019. United operates all its flights between the U.S. and Australia with Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner aircraft. Earlier this year, Qantas launched new 787 Dreamliner nonstops between SFO and Melbourne- read about that here.

San Francisco to Toronto, Canada: United's new twice-daily nonstop year-round service between San Francisco and Toronto begins March 31, 2019 with a Boeing 737-800. Currently Star Alliance partner Air Canada serves SFO-YYZ with multiple daily nonstops.

San Francisco to Pape'ete, Tahiti: Previously seasonal-only, new year-round service on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays begins March 30, 2019 using a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner. Currently, French Bee also offers nonstop flights between SFO and Tahiti.

San Francisco to Auckland, New Zealand: Beginning March 30, 2019, United will extend service to Auckland with year-round, three-times-weekly flights using a Boeing 777-200ER aircraft. United and Star Alliance partner Air New Zealand also offers nonstops to Auckland.

San Francisco to Amsterdam: United will launch daily, year-round service on March 30, 2019 and will be operated with Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner aircraft.

San Francisco to Seoul, South Korea: United is adding a second flight – flown four times per week – between San Francisco and Seoul, South Korea on April 1, 2019 using a Boeing 777-200ER aircraft.

Photo: United Airlines

Breakdown of United's big expansion at SFO

Breakdown of United's big expansion at SFO

What do you think of United's expansion? Does it qualify as "historic?" Which flights are you most likely to take? Leave your thoughts in the comments or on our Facebook page.